The Protection of The Father And The Family
by secret shugo chara
Summary: The Fates are tired of their plans for their champions being derailed. Returning to the past, they select 7 men to protect and guard their champions. For who better to protect their young than a protective family? FEM!Harry FEM!Naruto Adopted!WeasleyTwins Protective!Fathers Protective!Families
1. The Fates' Choice For A New Future

**A/N: I own nothing and hope you all enjoy it! If it seems similar to any one's fanfiction, it is unintentional.** **This is my second fanfiction, critism is welcomed and helpful. So please review!**

The Fates were currently rethinking their choice about giving humanity free will as they struggled to unsuccessfully attempt to untangle their loom yet again. How was it that not one but **BOTH** of their champions' purposes had been derailed so badly? Atropos (the cutter) thoughtfully tapped her scissors against her chin as she pondered their current dilemma as she watched her sisters attacked the tangle that she had deemed to be a lost cause.

Although naivety _normally_ went hand in hand with innocence, she was tired of her and her sisters' heroes attempts at change be stopped by those who were supposed to be considered to be allies. Now if it was just one hero that was having so much trouble, they _would_have just sent them back in time with their previous memories and have them do it again. It was a little known fact about her and her sisters was that after the fall of Chronos at the hands of his children, Father Chaos had granted them Chronos' powers over both time and space—trusting them to do a better job of wielding them.

Several times throughout the course of history, the Fates had had to use these sacred powers to help humanity. However, both they and their father had limited the use of these powers to at least once (or twice, if there was a _very_ dire need(i.e. an entire civilization dying out before its time)) a century to remove the temptation to overuse and abuse this unique set of powers like Chronos had. She hoped that his children had given him terrible indigestion. Gods know how much damage Demeter and Hades could have caused in his stomach. Even before they were swallowed whole, those two had it out for the other…Clotho had weaved that rivalry during a particularly boring decade about a century or to before they had been born.

However, Atropos had to return to the problem that was at hand. Due to the fact that was not one **BUT** two heroes in dire need of a due over, Atropos couldn't fall back on the old _"you've been an idiot and failed in fulfilling your destiny…now try again_" routine especially since one was about eight years older than the other and all of the Fates did not want to use their power of time for something that Atropos had a feeling would have a simple solution. What she and her sisters needed was a new plan. She carefully considered a variety of different plans before discarding them.

What they needed was someone who would watch out for their naïve young charges. Someone who would protect them, guard them from both harm and manipulation... someone that would willingly stand in their corner and give everything they had to protect their little champions, just like their father had done with both Gaea and Nyx when they had been making fun of them as children.

Atropos stopped tapping her scissors as a thought crossed her mind. They didn't need someone like Father but **A FATHER**! She dropped her scissors as she made her way over to her sisters. They had a plan that need to be formed and they would most likely call in a few favors to get it done if her sisters agreed.

**_—August 1st, 1980—St. Mungos—12:30 a.m.—_**

"Padfoot! Look at her. Isn't she beautiful?" an exuberant man by the name of James Potter quietly asked as he held close to him a small bundle wrapped in a very soft pink blanket. He was short when compared to his slightly taller friend. His dark brunette hair was mussed up more than usual due to the number of times he had ran his fingers through it out of frayed nerves during the last nine to ten hours with his wife's labor.

"Aye. She's gorgeous, Prongsie." His best friend and newly made godfather, Sirius Black, replied as he peered down at the bundle which contained a newborn baby who wasn't even a hour old yet. The baby was currently sleeping but the little cherub was still as cute as a button. _She would be the best goddaughter in the world _he privately thought. Pointing to the small tuft of dark brown almost black hair on his pup's head he continued. "Hopefully, being brunette is the only hair characteristic she share with you, mate. It would be a shame if she had that unruly rat's nest that you call hair."

Carefully placing his newborn daughter into the crib next to his currently sleeping wife, James turn to his friend with his arm raised. "You prat! I'll have you know that my hair is windswept and sexy!" However before he could hit his best friend, a bright flash of light engulfed the room taking the to men with it as it dissipated leaving behind the two female Potters.

**_—August 1st, 1980—Prewett Home—12:30 a.m.—_**

On either end of a very large nursery stood a pair of identical men with somewhat unamused looks on their face. Both had a somewhat stocky build and were slightly on the short side of height. They both had a slightly mischievous twinkle in their light brown eyes while their auburn hair curled softly to their shoulders. With arms spread, the duo attempted to corralled another pair of very similar looking toddlers into their respective beds for it was well past the time for them to be asleep.

"_Now, it is time to go…_" one of the older men started to say before the other picked up where the first left off. "**_…_****to sleep. If you don't**…"

**_"…go to sleep, how can you wake up tomorrow to play some more?"_** the two men finished together while attempting to bribe the mini twins into going back to bed with the promise of playtime later on in the day. Since the older twins had been doing paperwork in their study just down the hall when they had heard the younger ones' voices and upon inspection, the older pair of men had found them in their playroom riding, or at least attempting to, their training brooms. Finally, the older pair of men had successfully coxed the two "mini terrors", as they were often fondly called, back to the realm of Morpheus.

Quietly, they exited the nursery before heading back into the study to finish the paperwork they had been working on before they went to find out where their mini terrors were. Somehow, it seemed like every week those two mini terrors decided that they wanted to fly at night. The men were still trying to figure out how their mini terrors had managed to unlock the broom cupboard, though...

_"Well, Fabian, father did always warn us that one day we would have children like ourselves."_ The one who first spoke to the younger twins said with a soft smile at the thought of the "mini terrors" as he once again took his seat behind an ancient oak desk that had been handed down from generation to generation in the man's family.

**"Well, brother dear, I for one wouldn't have it any other way. Our little terrors are the best type of terrors, Gideon."** The one now known as Fabian said with a smirk as he too took his seat behind a matching oak desk that was the twin to the one that his brother was using.

As they once again turned to the paperwork, a flash of light filled the room before dissipating taking the two men with it leaving behind the two younger twins, who continued to sleep on without stirring from their slumber.

**_—August 1st, 1980—Kohona—Minato Namikaze's Apartment—_**

"So then you'll take him on as your student?" a silver haired man asked to a younger man with bright blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"Of course. I've wanted to teach ever since I became a Jōnin. So it wouldn't be a problem for me to take young Kakashi under my wing as an apprentice for a few years before I take on two more to form a complete genie team." the younger said as he sat down on his couch. He knew that his silver haired friend wouldn't be as worried if someone he knew would be his son's teacher and taught his son the best way to live the shinobi life.

"Thank you, Minato. I can't stop Kakashi from graduating from the Academy early and while I will admit that he's talented, he's still only 5 years old. With the atmosphere lately, I fear that just pairing him with anyone as a sensei…he'll be unprotected **_if_** war is declared." the silver haired man said as he leaned against the wall with a concern look in his eyes.

"Don't worry, my friend. I'll protect and care for him as if he was my own out there **_if_** it **does **come to war. Besides, if I had a son or daughter like you, I would be just as careful when it comes to their safety." the blonde said as he crossed his arms and shrugged before turning the conversation to a slightly unpleasant thought (in his opinion). "Kami-sama, I hope I don't have a girl when I start a family. I don't know _if_ or **_how_** I'd handle the stress of them being a ninja or…or…or boys!"

Right at that moment, a flash of light appeared covering the men before taking them away as it dissipated. Little did anyone know when the ANBU would go to inform them of a fellow Jōnin who disappeared before the eyes of two other Jōnins, no one would be able to find them and would raise the alarm as well as the fear that many in Kohona felt that day.

**_—August 1st, 1980—The Crimson Blade Bar—Downtown Kohona—_**

It was a Wednesday night so as usual the small bar was sparse in terms of customers except for the regulars. It was quiet with the notable exception of three young men who were seated at the bar ordering more rounds.

Physically, the men had nothing expect for their skin color. The one closest to the door was a dark haired brunette whose hair was tied back making it reminiscent of a pineapple. Because the man was slouching, it was difficult to tell what his height was and it gave him the appearance of falling asleep to those who weren't familiar with his clan. He was Nara Shikaku, heir to the Nara clan of Kohona.

To his right was a man with pale blonde hair that was tie back loosely at the base of his neck. He wasn't sloughing but sitting straight and talking rather animatedly—waving his hands around to help emphasize his point to his companions. This was Yamanaka Inoichi, heir to the Yamanaka clan of Kohona as well as a newly promoted Jōnin of Kohona.

The last companion was a…big boned man with wild red hair and purple markings on his cheeks. He wasn't 'trying' to sleep nor was he talking animatedly but was leaning on the bar as he good-naturedly listened to the conversation that his blonde companion was providing. This was the heir to the Akimichi clan, Akimichi Chōza. All three were members of the next generation for the Ino-Shika-Chō team.

"And then I took him by surprise by using my jutsus to possess him to make him give me what I needed to find the exit. He really should have known what I'm capable of, seeing that he's a Kohona ninja." Inoichi finished recalling to his team.

"Troublesome. Though congratulations on finally becoming a Jōnin, Inoichi." the 'half-asleep' Nara mumbled before signaling to the bartender for another refill.

"We knew that you could do it!" Chōza said as he too signaled for another refill from the bartender.

"You know, you could have gotten it a lot sooner if you would stop chasing skirts so much." Shikaku said as the bartender brought him his refill.

Inoichi made to reply most likely about how**_ he_**, _at least_, wasn't afraid of the opposite sex when suddenly a bright light interrupted him and filled the establishment before dissipating, revealing that the light had somehow taken his lazy friend with it. After a moment of staring where his friend had been sitting, he looked down at his drink before pushing it away while shaking his head not really believing what he saw and started to head for the door to inform the Hokage that somehow, one of his Jōnins had gotten kidnapped. Chōza, on the other hand, went to pay for the tab that the three men had built up during their stay at the Crimson Blade before quickly following after his friend.


	2. Time to Start a New Future

**A/N: I own nothing except for any OCs that may pop up. Also I know that my first chapter is very similar to another story but my story is going to be very different. Like I said in my first chapter, ****_NO_****FLAMES!****Hopefully this chapter will prove to be better! So, please, review!**

All seven men landed in the center of what appeared to be a large cavern. Five of them managed to land on their feet and almost immediately went on the defensive upon realizing there were strangers in their presence. Fabian and Gideon, on the other hand, toppled over each other as they had been sitting down when they were taken from their study. However the duo immediately jumped to their feet as they simultaneously brought their wands from their holsters, they instinctively placed themselves next to James Potter and Sirius Black who also had their wands drawn. Opposite of the four men stood three unfamiliar men wielding what looked like a triangular looking knife or a blade that looked quite similar to a short sword. No one moved as they observed the other groups with narrowed eyes.

"State your name, rank and village for me," the oldest of the strangers said. He was also the one who was wielding the sword. All of the wizards took note of the silvery white hair and quietly wondered if it was possible for the man to be older than he appeared to be. "I'd like to know where I'm sending the bodies of those who were stupid enough to try to kidnap three Shinobi of Kohona. Especially three Jōnin of Kohona."

The wizards were just barely able to process the words 'Shinobi' and 'Kohona' when all seven noticed a single folded up piece of paper on a table that was off to the side and that nobody seemed to have noticed earlier. Keeping an eye on the other group, both groups slowly made their way toward the paper. Once both groups were in front of it, the paper unfolded itself before a feminine voice that seemed to originate from the paper spoke.

**_To those who have been gathered:_**

**_Welcome to the land of the Gods. For the shinobi, this is also the land of summons or as it is more commonly known as the Summoning Realm. My sisters and I would like to introduce ourselves as well as request that you not fight each other seeing as all of you are needed for what my sisters and I hope will happen to the future. We are the Fates and have brought you here to prevent several disasters that should not happen. Before we continue, the worlds that all of you are from are separate from each other and are only connected by this realm, which means that all of you are from a different dimension from the other group in the most simplest terms for those who don't understand. _**

**_In the world where the group of four are from, there are two separate "worlds" or societies within _**_that__** dimension. One is what those who live in it call it the Wizarding World while they call the other one the Muggle World . In the Wizarding World, those who are a part of it are able to use a general kekkei genkai or bloodline limit. The four that are here are from the Wizarding World are involved in a war over who has the right to use this bloodline limit, those who have been using this kekkei genkai or those who are first generation kekkei genkai users. In the world where the group of three are from, it is more similar to Feudal Japan with touches of modern times. However these three are shinobi or ninja who are loyal to their Hokage or the leader of their village. This is all that my sisters and I will reveal at the moment.**_

**_To prove we are who we say we are, we will reveal something that only you would know. James Potter, father of Kokoro Potter and husband to Lily Potter née Evans, you are known among your four closest friends which include someone here as Prongs in honor of what you can become at will. Sirius Black, godfather of Kokoro Potter and brother in all but blood to James Potter, you are known as Padfoot to your four closest friends which also includes James Potter and are still currently heir to the Black family. Fabian Prewett, twin brother to Gideon Prewett and brother to Molly Weasley née Prewett, you helped James Potter, Sirius Black and their friends pull pranks on the staff of the school that you went to much like your brother. Do we really need to do the same for Gideon Prewett since he did the exact same things as his twin brother? Namikaze Minato, Jōnin of Kohonagakure and future teacher to Hatake Kakashi, you rescued Uzumaki Kushina from Kumogakure and are currently experimenting on a time/space jutsu. Hatake Sakumo, Jōnin of Kohonagakure and father to Hatake Kakashi, you are known as the White Fang of Kohona and place a high value on your comrades. Nara Shikaku, Jōnin of Kohonagakure, heir to the Nara clan and future member of the Ino-Shika-Chō team, you have a natural control over your clan's jutsus that few of your clansmen have. Each of you have been chose for a reason but due to the time restraint we currently have in order to change the future_**

**_It is not you who needs or require divine intervention but one Kokoro Potter and oneNamikaze-Uzumaki Nanami. We hope that by involving you and your families, we will be able to fulfill both of their destinies and allow them to be free from the manipulation of two old babbling baboons that think that they know what's best for our champions. _**

**_Now then, let's get down to business about Kokoro Potter and Namikaze-Uzumaki Nanami. We could not do anything ourselves to bring about what is to be. However, _**if**_ someone were to just seeming know about future events and were to act…well, no one would blame you for anything that you might do. Let us start with Kokoro Potter's future. Admittedly, neither of their futures are the best and since both of them are under two different prophesies, my sisters and I believe that we should start with Kokoro Potter since she is the elder of the two then follow Namikaze-Uzumaki Nanami's future._**

**_For Kokoro's part, there should soon be seven books on the table before you which are broken into chapters. You are to read these books and are allowed to have breaks in order for you to absorb the information of their current future better. During these breaks, you will be able to meet with a select number of your families back in the world where the majority of your group is from; we recommend that you go to the Potter Manor since there is more than enough room for about sixteen people. Once you have decided where you are going for these breaks, we will send Uzumaki Kushina and Hatake Kakashi to wherever it is via the Hokage's personal monkey summon, Enma. For Namikaze-Uzumaki Nanami, that will be discussed when you have finished Kokoro Potter's part. Before we forget, time will continue to go on and for the Jōnins, your Hokage will be informed as soon as you open the first book that involves Kokoro Potter._**

**_Do your best to change the future into something different._**

**_The Fates_**

Finally, it ended as the men slowly lowered weapons and wands. It was a few more minutes before they finally relaxed in the presence of the opposite group. None of them were certain of who was who in the other group that was there, except for the shinobi who immediately assumed that the two identical men were the twins that the Fates had mentioned.

"I'm James Potter, father to Kokoro Potter as you now know." James said with a tight smile as he put his wand back into his holster. He was eager to get started on the books that should be appearing soon. For some odd reason, he got the feeling that he wasn't going to like what was going to happen to his baby girl in the future. Fear took hold in his heart as he started to see red. He wouldn't allow anyone or anything to harm his precious baby girl. Determination to see that his baby girl would be able to live through this war and any others that his family was or were to be in broke through the fear that had no hold over his heart anymore.

"Namikaze Minato, apparently future father of Namikaze-Uzumaki Nanami." Minato said in shocked as he thought about what his future daughter would be like as well as the red haired woman that would hopefully be her mother with a slight blush… He wondered what would happen to his future daughter that would require divine intervention. It had to be something very bad, if what the Fates said was true.

"Sirius Black, godfather to Kokoro Potter and about fourth cousin to her as well as being James's third cousin." Sirius said as he pointed to James after he put his wand in his holster and was acting serious. It was a bit shocking to Fabian and Gideon who were used to the Black heir acting more like a child. Then again, he was going to do whatever he could to protect his family considering how much he… _disliked_… his blood family at least those who weren't Potters.

"Hatake Sakumo, father to Hatake Kakashi." The silver haired man said somewhat distractedly. He shook his head before bringing his attention back to the matter at hand. It wouldn't do for him to be distracted. "It would seem that we are at least meant to be temporary allies in this."

**"Fabian Prewett, uncle/father/caretaker of Fredrick and George Prewett."** Fabian said as he put his wand back in his holster. He got the feeling that both of these girls were going to be somewhat entertaining. Especially Kokoro when you consider the people that she would be around the most in her family….

"Nara Shikaku, no gakis that I know of." Shikaku said before he actually fell asleep on his feet. The wizards were shocked at how quickly the man fell asleep epically on his feet. Minato and Sakumo merely shook their heads at how quickly the Nara heir could relax in the presence of strangers.

"What he apparently forgot to mention was that one of his many nicknames is lazy bones." Sakumo said with a smirk before he dodged a punch from his fellow Jōnin. The Nara heir knew that most of his friends joked about how lazy most of his clan could be and how the laziness had to be inherited. Most of the time, he could ignore it though.

_"Gideon Prewett, uncle/father/caretaker of Fredrick and George Prewett."_ Gideon said as he wondered why he and his brother were brought here. There was some possibility that little Fredrick and little George would get involved with the newborn Potter heiress.

Suddenly, on the table were seven books and surrounding the table were seven office chairs that were decorated differently from each other with the exception of two that were sitting next to each other. James took a look at the books first and saw that the books had been labeled with just _Year_ followed by a number from one to seven. Almost immediately he thought that the numbers could correspond to the amount of years one had to spend at Hogwarts before turning his attention to the

One was a relaxing grey and was decorated with a single cloud that seemed to drift around the back of the chair while another was a calming brown but was decorated with a silver wolf that seemed to howl at an unseen moon. A third was a sedated green though it was decorated with a burnt orange toad that somehow seemed to be very grumpy. The three chairs were situated on one side of the table. On the other side were another three chairs. There was an office chair that was a dark almost blood red and was decorated with a large dark almost black dog howling, much like the silver wolf, at an unseen moon while the other two were a dark almost midnight blue but were decorated with a light colored eagle that had their wings spread wide as if they were ready to fly away. At the head of the table between the two groups was the final chair which was a deep sea green and had a stag looking up, like the dog and wolf, at an unseen moon or as if it was looking out for predators.

"I'd say that after the first two chapters, we head to the Potter Manor for our first break. Though we might have to talk to Papa Potter, right, James?" Sirius said as he took a seat in the dog decorated chair while the others took a seat in their respective chair. Minato took the toad chair while Sakumo took the wolf chair and Shikaku took the cloud chair. The Prewett twins took the eagle chairs while James took the stag chair at the head of the table as he picked up the first book and looked at it.

"Agreed, Padfoot. He wouldn't like it if we all just…show up at the Manor. The last time someone did that…it wasn't pretty for that person." James said as he placed the _Year One _book down as he thought back to what happened to the person before the Aurors had managed to get to the Manor and shuddered. "Anyway, why don't we start reading? I'll read first if that's alright with you all." Everyone else agreed as James opened the book to the first page.


	3. Book One Chapter One The Girl Who Lived

**A/N: Due to my changing weekly work schedule for my part time work and preparing for fall semester in college, I will try to update any and all stories at least once a month. If I can get more done, I'll be surprised...but anyway, please review! AND NO FLAMES, PLEASE!** **So yeah, the ****_Kokoro Potter_**** is going to be a characters-read-the-books with a slight twist. Don't worry, the books are going to remain somewhat cannon until maybe book four. Anyway, enjoy!**

**_Chapter One—The Girl Who Lived_** James started to read out loud before pausing. Somehow his baby girl had survived something that probably most people hadn't survived if she got such a moniker. He shook his head before continuing to read on. Sirius got the feeling that they would need to write items down and so transfigured a few rocks into seven journals as well as quills. With a wave of his wand, everyone was given a journal and a quill to use so that if they wanted they could write down notes about anything that caught their attention. Almost everyone nodded their heads in thanks for the items. The only one who did not was the Nara heir who looked like he was trying to fall back asleep.

**_Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,_** was as far as he got before he slammed his head down on the table with a moan. Sirius followed his best friend's lead with a groan. Both men knew who these two were…considering that James's wife, Lily, was the sister to Mrs. Vernon Dursley. "Not these Muggles! It's bad enough that I have to be related to them through marriage, but I can't believe that they're going to be involved in my little fawn's life." With that, James once again began to read. **_of number four, Privet Drive proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much._**

This time it wasn't James or Sirius who stopped the reading. It was the Prewett twins. They now had their heads in their hands shaking them, almost as if they were in shock to hear that. **_"You have to deal with that, James? How do put up with it?"_**

"Actually, Lily-flower and I haven't seen them since the funeral for Lily-flower's parents about a year ago a month after our wedding. So…let's just continue, shall we?" James said as he shuddered at the thought of being 'perfectly normal'. Sirius noticed that the shinobi were being quiet so far into the reading; he hoped that soon they would start talking as James returned to reading. **_They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold such nonsense._**

**_Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache._** Here, James shuddered at the memory of his brother-in-law. **_Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde, and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, _**here Sakumo could be heard muttering, "As if she's trying to make up for her husband," **_which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors._** Now all of the shinobi held their heads at the sound of such a horrible attempt at spying. It was a disgrace to those who made a living through spying. **_The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley_**, and here James stopped himself by saying "They managed to reproduce?!" in shock before turning back to the book to read., **_and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere. _**"Oh, yeah, right, if their son is anything like his father, he's a waste of space considering how much space his father tends to take up as well as how rude he is." James said as he shook his head in dismay at his nephew.

**_The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. _**Here, Sirius growled at what the book was implying while the Prewett twins had angry looks on their faces. Sure, they didn't spend much time with the Potter heir while they were in Hogwarts due to the differences in their ages and the fact that they had been sorted into different Houses but they had seen what he could do when he put his mind to something and had been impressed. The shinobi stated to write down in the journals that Sirius transfigured their observations so far on the couple that was mentioned. **_Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met in several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing_**, here Sirius really started growling and started planning several viscous pranks on Lily's sister in his head; it had been bad enough that both she and her husband thought badly about both Lily and James, **_husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. _**Here everyone managed to ignored the fact that Sirius was almost foaming at the mouth and the fact that he was growling quite loudly before Fabian cast the Silencing charm silently on the loud man to protect everyone's hearing before he started to damage anyone's hearing. **_The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small daughter, but they had never seen her._** "Oh good, little Koko wouldn't be seeing those Muggles for a while." James said with a slight grin and a bit snidely at the thought of his daughter having nothing to do with the Dursleys so far in her life. **_This girl was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; _**here James stopped in shock of what the book was saying about his little fawn before shaking the shock off and continuing to read the book, **_they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that._** Now it looked like Sirius was snarling silently while the shinobi had frowns on their faces. They might not have known the four wizards for long but they could already tell that these men have a good heart.

**_When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, _**here Gideon open his mouth to say something but stopped when he noticed Minato shaking his head and kept his mouth shut, **_there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie_**, all of the wizards gasped in shock and horror, or at least tried to in Sirius's case, since all four of them were well known pranksters back in their school years, **_for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled Dudley into his high chair._** As James finished reading the sentence, he shook his head as did the Prewetts and Sakumo. "Now that is bad parenting, it's obvious that the boy's used to getting what he wants." Sakumo said as he thought back to when Kakashi had been that young. Kakashi had been well behaved with only very rarely behaving badly; in fact, he was still like that. He never gave him or his mother any problems over anything.

**_None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window._** All of the shinobi had a brow raised in curiosity over the importance of a single owl while the wizards had their brows furrowed as they tried to figure out why an owl would be flying through what had to be a totally Muggle neighborhood.

**_At half past eight, Mr. Dudley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum_**, James snorted before stating " I just knew when Dudley was revealed that he was a spoiled brat. Admittedly I was the same way when I was younger but _at least_ I grew out of it," **_and throwing his cereal at the walls. "Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive._**

**_It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar—a cat reading a map. _**"Wait a minute, Prongs. You don't think that maybe…" Sirius said since by that time the Silencing charm had worn off as James shrugged his shoulders as an answer to Sirius before continuing to read. **_For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen—then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? _**Here, Shikaku shook his head as did the other shinobi. It wouldn't have been odd in their world considering the summons some shinobi had. **_It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive—no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs._** Now, the shinobi laughed softly at this man's desire to keep believing that the cat was a normal cat. **_Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day._** "James-san, your brother-in-law is an idiot and I mean no offence to you or your family." Shikaku said before he 'fell' back to being half asleep. Minato just shook his head at the Nara clan heir's antics. James just shrugged his shoulders at the Nara heir's statement. He knew that was true and he found nothing wrong with that.

**_But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks._** "Oh, c'mon. Really? I know that he knows about our world but if he can spot us that means that Muggles who _don't know_**CAN**!" James said as he shook his head before he returned to reading the book. **_Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes—the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion._****"Well, at least he's dim witted. Can't tell that he's being surrounded by witches and wizards!"** Fabian said as he held his head in shame at how thick the Muggle was being in trying to not notice anything 'abnormal'.**_ They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! _**_Thunk!_ Here both of the Prewett twins' heads were slammed into the table in exaggeration at how their fellow wizards were acting. Sirius's brows were furrowed in confusion at how these people were acting. He knew that they would only do something like that if it was something major…like the end of this war that they were in but that wouldn't be happening any time soon as far as he could tell with how fierce the fighting was between the two sides. **_The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt—these people were obviously collecting for something…yes, that would be it. _**The wizards breathed a sigh of relief at how dim the Muggle was. **_The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills. _**Now, everyone shook their heads at the consistency and dedication the man had to his love of being normal before returning to the book.

**_Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. _**The shinobi rolled their eyes at how easy it would be to do something to the man if he followed a routine like he apparently did in the future.**_ If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. _**"You know, James, it looks like he has a very controlling personality. **If** something happens to you and Lily and I can't raise her, I suggest that you have someone else raise Kokoro." Sirius said in a serious voice. Somehow, he got a bad feeling about the man gaining Kokoro. James nodded his head as he continued to read. **_He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery._** James gasped in shock at the mere thought of Vernon having only one bun. He knew that Vernon didn't get to the weight that he was by eating only one bun on occasion. Vernon had to have had at least maybe two buns maybe every other day or every day.

**_He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made hime uneasy._**"Does anyone else have a bad feeling about this?" Minato asked in concern. He really didn't like that last sentence that was spoken. Shikaku, Sakumo, Sirius and the Prewett twins nodded their heads as all of them gained a slight frown. **_This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin._**_"Are they that stupid? We do have the Notice-Me-Not spell!" _Gideon said as he shook his head at how idiotic these people were being. It was like they had forgotten the most basic of the spells that they could use to avoid detection from the Muggles! **_It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying._**

**_"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard—"_** here James paused slightly confused at what would cause people to talk about him and his family. It didn't look like it was anything good for if this current future continued on. Sure, when he had been younger he had wanted people to talk about him and his family but he had _mostly_ grown out of it. The only people that he wanted to talk about his family were family members and close friends.

**_"—yes, their daughter, Kokoro—"_** Sirius now had a concern look on his face when his goddaughter was mentioned. He had a really bad feeling about what would happen to her if this future continued to be.

**_Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it._**

**_He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking…no, he was being stupid._**"From what I saw when I last saw him, that's a constant state of being for him." James snarled out, sounding almost wolf-like which caused Sirius to look his cousin curiously. **_Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a daughter called Kokoro. _**James laughed out loud as Sirius explained to the shinobi that in the Wizarding World the Potters were like their Hokage and that they were the richest in the Wizarding World. Sirius also mentioned that while there were many Potters in the Muggle side of the world, there was only one Potter family in the magical community. The Prewett twins were shaking their head at the Muggle's tendency to deny what he really knew was true. **_Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his niece was called Kokoro. He'd never even seen the girl. _**"Oh, thank you, whoever decided that." James said as he looked up at the ceiling of the cavern with a slight smile on his face. **_It might have been Kara. Or Karin. _**James gasped in shock and horror. There was no way his little fawn would be given such names; they were just too…simple and lacked the uniqueness that Kokoro seemed to have. He shook his head and returned to reading the chapter. **_There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. _**Shikaku snorted before muttering about how it seemed that there was some sort of resentment between the two sisters. Minato shook his head as he wrote that down in his journal. **_He didn't blame her—if he'd had a sister like that…but all the same, those people in cloaks…_** "Not like your sister is much better. Just imagine this guy as a female." James said with a shudder. He had met the…woman once and felt that she was a female walrus much like her brother was a male walrus. There was no way that he would let anything like that come near his family.

**_He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door._**

**_"Sorry,"_** James stopped here with wide eyes. The only time he ever saw his brother-in-law was at the funeral for his in-laws and what he saw then was an overbearing as well as arrogant man. James shook his head once more before turning back to the book, **_he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last!_**—James stopped reading shocked at what was to happen. Sirius felt faint; his little pup was going to do something that would end this war…he just knew it! The Prewetts, on the other hand, were explaining to the shinobi just who You-Know-Who was. Once the shinobi were informed about the war and You-Know-Who, they were skeptical on whether or not this Dark Lord would really be dead. James turned back to the book and started to reading, **_Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"_**

**_And the man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked up._** James paused wondering how the man's arms had managed to go around Vernon. It would have been a miracle. He shook his head before he turned back to the book to continue to read.

**_Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was._** The Prewett twins couldn't help but say **_"That's what you are, thank Merlin!"_****_He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination._** Now, the wizards had wide eyes. Who didn't approve of imagination? Everyone used or approved of imagination! It was unnatural!

**_As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood—was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes._**

**_"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. _**"You know, if I didn't any better that cat has to be someone we know." Sirius said as he thought about how everything seemed to be going.**_ Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife._**

**_Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news: _**Everyone kept quiet as James continued to read the book since no one had anything to say, thought Sakumo had a slightly hard look when Dudley's new word was revealed. He felt that word was not a word that should make a mother happy as it seemed to have made his mother.

**_"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"_**

**_"Well, Ted," _**"Hey, one of my cousin's husband's name is Ted! It could be him." Sirius said as he turned to James,**_ said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! _****_"Something's happened to make someone do that," _**the Prewett twins said as they cocked their head to one side**_. Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early—it's not until next week, folks! But, I can promise a wet night tonight."_**

**_Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…_**

**_Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er—Petunia, dear—you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"_**

**_As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister. _**"Just like Lily has been doing lately, you hateful hag." James muttered softly but everyone heard what he said and Sirius agreed with him.

**_"No," she said sharply. "Why?"_**

**_"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls…shooting stars…and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…"_**

**_"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley._**

**_"Well, I just thought… maybe…it was something to do with…you know…her crowd."_** Here all of the shinobi raised an eyebrow as they wondered why this person was so hesitant to talk about what they were doing or other people in their lives even if they weren't in frequent contact with the other.

**_Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter". He decided he didn't dare. "It's fairly obvious that his wife wears the pants of their relationship." Minato said with a slight shake of his head. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their daughter—she'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't she?"_**

**_"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly._**

**_"What's her name again? Karin, isn't it?"_**

**_"Kokoro. Or Koko as a nickname. Nasty, foreign name, if you ask me." _**Growling could be head from Sirius while James was muttering "Nobody asked you, you foul evil humanoid horse."

**_"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sink horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."_**

**_He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something._**

**_Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did…if it got out that they were related to a pair of –well, he didn't think he could bear it._**

**_The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind…He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on—he yawned and turned over—it couldn't affect them…_**

**_How very wrong he was. _**"Great, so something is going to happen that is going to involve the Dursleys and my family…" James said as he narrowed his eyes in suspension of the way how things were going.

**_Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all. _**"There's only one person that we know of who has that kind of patience." Sirius said as the wizards nodded their head, thinking back to when they had been students under that person.

**_A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed._**

**_Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. "You know who that sounds like, right, James? Dumbledore." Sirius said as he cocked his head to one side as he wondered why the man would even go to such a place. His blue eyes were light, bright and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore._**

**_Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. _**"Either that or he didn't care. For some reason, I think that he didn't care." Minato said softly as he shook his head.**_ He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."_**

**_He found what he was looking or in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. _**"That might be useful for a shinobi," Shikaku softly muttered as he slowly and lazily shook his head. **_He clicked it again—the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it._**

**_"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall." _**Now the shinobi had an eyebrow raised in slight confusion but they weren't too shocked. They did deal with summons on occasion and some of them preferred to study justus than fight but were still capable of fighting.

**_He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled._**

**_"How did you know it was me?" she asked. "That is a good question. If she's noticed that easily by someone, she needs to improve her acting skills." Minato said with a slight grin. He just knew that however they managed to do that, it would most likely be useful for shinobi._**

**_"My dear Professor, I 've never seen a cat sit so stiffly." _**"That would do it." Sakumo said as he shook his head.

**_"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall. "Alright, I want to know why she's been there _**

**_"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here." _**Everyone narrowed their eyes at the change in subject that the man had tried to pull.

**_Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily._**

**_"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense." _**"Oh, you said the same thing about us Marauders. Yet look at us now, Minnie!" Sirius said with a somewhat bright smile.

**_"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years." _****_"Wait, eleven years?! Our world has been at war for about the past ten years!"_******Fabian said shocked. Gideon, on the other hand, had his eyes narrowed. It was a bit concerning that apparently after eleven years the war that was going on would just end that easily.

**_"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."_**

**_She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?" _****_"That would be interesting, if that did happened." _**The Prewetts said as they shook their heads.

**_"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?" _**"A what?" came from the shinobi, who had a confused look on their faces.

**_"A what?"_**

**_"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."_**

**_"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"_**

**_"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You- Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort." Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name." _**The shinobi nodded their heads since in their line of work, a person could gain a lot of infamy and there were many shinobi with similar or the exact same name but had different monikers.

**_"I know you haven 't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."_**

**_"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have." _**"Only because he's too noble to use those powers." Both James and Sirius said as they shook their heads with a slight smile at what they felt was the truth.

**_"Only because you're too - well - noble to use them." _**Both Sirius and James looked at each other with wide eyes. They were shocked and frightened at the fact that they were thinking so similarly to one of their former teachers.

**_"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs." _****_"Oh, Merlin! Too much information!" _**The Prewett twins said with a shudder and with green faces. Minato and Sakumo looked at the other two wizards with a somewhat concern look on their faces. James had a slightly green tint to his face while Sirius looked like he was trying to not think about the information that had just been revealed.

**_Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?" _**Everyone had a look of curiosity on their face. It was easy to see that they wanted to know what had stopped the man that the future Dumbledore and the future McGonagall were talking about.

**_It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer._**

**_"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead." _**"**What?!** No, not James…not Lily…not pup…" Sirius shouted before letting his voice to fall to just barely above a whisper. His eyes were wide with shock and sadness. He couldn't and wouldn't believe that his best friend along with his family was going to die sometime within the next year. "Wait a minute, she's mentioned only you and your wife, James-san. It could be possible that your daughter's still alive at that time." Sakumo said as he narrowed his eyes in slight suspicion over what the woman had just said.

**_Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped._**

**_"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus..."_**

**_Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily._**

**_Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's daughter, Kokoro. But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little girl. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Kokoro Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone." _**"So… somehow a toddler managed to beat a person who many of your people would consider to be an S-rank criminal." Minato said as he raised an eyebrow at the information that the woman had provided. "I don't think that's what really happened."

**_Dumbledore nodded glumly._**

**_"It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little girl? It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Kokoro survive?"_**

"That's what I want to know," James said with a concern filled voice. His little fawn was going to be orphaned because of this blasted war. That was unacceptable! He would do whatever it took to ensure that his entire family survived this blasted war. "Wait, what happened to Mum and Dad? There hasn't been any mention of them at all so far."

**_"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know." _**_"Oh, I'm certain that you know, Dumbledore."_Gideon said as he narrowed his eyes. He and his brother both had a protective streak when it came to children that came out when their little sister, Molly, had been born though when the mini terrors had been born, it had gotten slightly worse and something was off about what Dumbledore had just said.

**_Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?" _**The shinobi had their eyebrows raised in confusion when the watch was mention. However, the wizards were more concern about what was going to happen to the newest member of the Potter family.

**_"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"_**

**_"I've come to bring Kokoro to her aunt and uncle. They're the only family she has left now." _**"What?! No…not my parents…what happened to them?" James said as he closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears that he felt were coming. Though he knew that he would never let his little fawn to be placed with Lily's sister and her family, especially since he was fairly certain that Sirius was going to still bealive at that time in the future.

**_"You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. _**"Please, no…not at that place, Dumbledore. She wouldn't be accepted or loved there." Sirius said as he shook his head. He didn't want to see his little pup in that place.**_ "Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Kokoro Potter come and live here!"_**

**_"It's the best place for her," said Dumbledore firmly. "Her aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to her when she's older. I've written them a letter." _**"**NO! **You can't be serious about that! And don't start, Padfoot." James said as he did not want to hear any corny puns about Sirius's name.

**_"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand her! She'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Kokoro Potter day in the future - there will be books written about Kokoro - every child in our world will know her name!"_**

**_"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any girl's head. Famous before she can walk and talk! Famous for something she won't even remember! CarA you see how much better off she'll be, growing up away from all that until she's ready to take it?"_**

**_Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the girl getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Kokoro underneath it. _**"She'd better not be, you old man." Sirius snarled out as a bit of his animagus form bleed a bit into his current form, giving him longer nails that now looked similar to a dog's claws. The shinobi noticed but figured it might be answered in a future chapter or book and if it wasn't then they would ask the man what caused his nails to lengthen.

**_"Hagrid's bringing her." _**"Oh, thank you! I just hope he gets there alright." James said as he hung his head. He was still in shock over what would happen to most of his family.

**_"You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"_** "I would trust Hagrid with my life," Sirius said before shaking his head. "Just not with my secrets."

**_"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore. _**Fabian and Gideon shook their heads at how similar it seemed that Sirius and Dumbledore were. Though many people who were friends with the large man would agree anyway.

**_"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"_**

**_A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them. _**"Wait a minute…that sounds like my bike!" Sirius said as he narrowed his eyes in confusion as to why Hagrid would have it.

**_If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets. _****"That sounds like Hagrid,"** Fabian said with a shake of his head. Gideon, on the other hand, merely rolled his eyes. **"Scary, but once you get to know him, you've got someone whose got your back."**

**_"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"_**

**_"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got her, sir." _**"What? The only reason I would give it to someone is if there was a pressing need for me elsewhere." Sirius said as he furrowed his brow in confusion. James nodded his head. It was fairly common knowledge that Sirius was very picky about who could borrow his bike as well as who could ride it.

**_"No problems, were there?"_**

**_"No, sir - house was almost destroyed, but I got her out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. She fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol." _**"Why do I get the feeling that little Koko is going to be spending a bit of time in the air?" James said as he held his head in his hands, shaking it as he did so. He quickly wrote down want he thought his baby girl might be when she reached the age for her to play Quidditch at Hogwarts. "By the way, Sirius, Koko is not getting on that bike without myself or Lily being with her." Sirius just nodded his head to keep James happy. He would still take her on his bike when he could.

**_Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby girl, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair with a red tint to it over her forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning. _**"It sounds as if she's going to be quiet cute when she's older." Minato said with a slight smile on his face. James nodded his head as he brought his head out of his hands. He just knew that one day, his baby girl was going to take after her mother in the beauty department and that he would have to beat the boys back with most of the spell that he knew to protect his baby girl. By the sounds of it, it looks like she only gained that cut in what had to be about fifteen months since her birth and she most likely grew up a bit as well.

**_"Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall._**

**_"Yes," said Dumbledore. "She'll have that scar forever."_**

**_"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"_**

**_"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well - give her here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with." _**"I find that he can't do anything to that scar hard to believe." Sakumo said as he started to write down some more observations that he had made throughout the reading so far. "Not only that but the last part sounds as if he's forcing himself to be there."

**_Dumbledore took Kokoro in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house._**

**_"Could I - could I say good-bye to her, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Kokoro and gave her what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog._** Here, both Sakumo and Sirius had an offended look on their face at that especially considering that Sakumo was partnered to the wolf summons while Sirius had a dog animagus form.

**_"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"_**

**_"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Koko off ter live with Muggles -"_**

**_"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Kokoro gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Kokoro's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out. _**_"Well, that shows you that things are bad if that light goes out." _Gideon said as he wrote down speculations that he had about what had happened and what would happened in the future from what had been read.

**_"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations." _**"Wait a minute…no spells, no enchantments or anything to help protect her?" Sirius said as he narrowed his eyes. Now, there was suspicion in Sirius's and James's mind over what Dumbledore was trying to do. Both men knew that the old man had plans about different things. Could it be that he had plans that revolved around little Koko?

**_"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir." _**"Oh, thank you! I just hope that's a temporary situation until I can get her." Sirius said as he shook his head, trying to keep his calm.

**_Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night._**

**_"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply._**

**_Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four._**

**_"Good luck, Kokoro," he murmured. _**"Oh, she'll need that luck. That house is going to be nightmare for any child of mine." James said in a soft voice as he tried to keep a cool head as he thought about how likely it would be for a child of his to be a prankster.**_ He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone._**

**_A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Kokoro Potter rolled over inside her blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside her and she slept on, not knowing she was special, not knowing she was famous, not knowing she would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream_**, "Lord no…when I had to listen to her scream the last time I met her, she nearly took out my hearing." James said as he tried to keep his mind off the memory,**_ as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that she would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by her cousin Dudley... She couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Kokoro Potter - the girl who lived!"_**

"And that's the end of the chapter. I think this is going to be harder than I thought." James said as he shook his head before he turned back to th men who were with him. "So, who wants to read now?"

"I'm more than willing to read, James-san." Minato said as he held out his hand for the book. James just nodded his head as he passed the book to the blonde shinobi.


End file.
